tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post1930187885275935827..comments2024-03-28T07:16:05.720-07:00Comments on Experience Points: Past PeevesJorge Alborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-57517727814699515542010-01-25T21:19:45.395-08:002010-01-25T21:19:45.395-08:00I think the "blank slate" character prob...I think the "blank slate" character problem is the combination of momentum and the general neglect of storytelling. It's seems easy to choose a character for whom you don't have to worry about hair animation. It's also easy and comfortable to fall back on the culturally and ethnically familiar, and when games are made by white men, there's undoubtedly a existent (if not malicious) bias.<br /><br />I also think storytelling and characterization (as well as writing in general) is a lot more difficult and time consuming than most people realize. Even if people set out not to make a blank slate, it's extremely hard to not end up with one. <br /><br />I'd like to belatedly jump on the hate train and say that turret sequences are getting really tiresome. A particularly annoying example is the El Gigante battle in Resident Evil 5. In RE 4, you actually had to fight those things on foot, using the same mechanics used to fight regular zombies. In RE 5, it's just a glorified light-gun sequence. Bah!Scott Justerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11775296635863850847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-17614057597431772062010-01-12T22:03:26.193-08:002010-01-12T22:03:26.193-08:00To some extent I think Gordon works a little bette...To some extent I think Gordon works a little better than some others is that his range of abilities within the game world precisely correspond to your range of abilities playing the game. He never says "..." and has NPC respond to him. You can't talk back to NPCs, so neither does Gordon. I dislike the blank slate method of character design in general, but I find the purity of their vision impressive.<br /><br />I can totally understand that. I'm a huge fan of party-centric mechanics and tactics, so I was excited when that was the focus. My biggest frustration with Fallout 1 and 2 was that you couldn't control your party members, for instance. In that sense, I'd be inclined to think that a part of your negative reaction is simply a mismatch of expectations. Once I understood that I was really playing one character, and the partners were just window dressing, I was able to have a much better time with the game.<br /><br />I have heard that they tweak the encounter design and balance to be a little friendlier to inhabiting one character for the console versions. Things like sending fewer enemies at you at once and making your characters a little more resilient. It's all anecdotal though, so I can't say for sure if it's true or not. Sounds like it would have been a good idea to open up the tactics controls earlier in the console versions.Juliannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-43005634923081261492010-01-12T15:54:41.251-08:002010-01-12T15:54:41.251-08:00@ Julian
Well said. Blank slates are not easier t...@ Julian<br /><br />Well said. Blank slates are not easier to inhabit. How can anyone relate to nothingness. Even Gordon Freeman is too 'blank' for my liking. HL2 works because I can relate to well designed NPCs, not the disembodied camera man.<br /><br />Here's the thing about Dragon Age: I'm probably playing it wrong for two reasons. One, I'm playing it on the PS3, which makes controlling my AI party members a chore relative to PC control. Secondly, I designed a rogue to play as a rogue, not to play as a rogue 1/4 of the time. If I wanted to make all of Alistair's decisions, I would have rolled a warrior.<br /><br />I know what I'm getting into with Final Fantasy. Also, not surprisingly, I didn't really like the gambit system in FFXII.<br /><br />I can believe the AI in DA:O is great, just not early on and not yet for me. (Sorry, that all sounds really whiny. I'm mostly loving the game, I swear!)Jorge Alborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-75175575070016117112010-01-12T10:25:59.650-08:002010-01-12T10:25:59.650-08:00Nice points, especially the blank slate. Non-char...Nice points, especially the blank slate. Non-characters don't "allow you to inhabit them" or somesuch nonsense. They're just plain boring.<br /><br />I'm surprised to see partner AI in Dragon Age come up, however. Not only is it a moot point because you can override the AI and give them orders directly, but if you choose to set tactics either by developing them yourself or by looking them up, the AI is among the most workable in the biz. DA:O is a party-based RPG, the AI is merely a convenience. I mean, is it a problem that you have to give each character commands in Final Fantasy?Julianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05684168826773165763noreply@blogger.com